☀️🌸August Daily Weigh-in and Logging Challenge🌸☀️

July Reflection

July was a tough month for me. I do not really understand why I lost motivation this month, but probably a combination of not being able to do my normal exercise routine coupled with getting close to my goal and self-sabotage.

I lost 1.5 pounds this month. My goal was to at least lose 2% of my body weight which would have been about 3 pounds. I got close for a couple of days – but then went over the top and gained some back. The good thing is that I got back at it right away and did not allow the one-day binges to continue into a weekend, or weeklong binge. Down 84.5 pounds since I started this journey.

Exercise was different for me this month as well. The doctor asked that complete non weight bearing exercises, so no real walking. My strength, cardio, stretch, and steps were all done in the chair most of the month. I did get the green light to start up again at the end of the month and am slowly transitioning from chair to standing.

Now for the good news – I reached the 1,500-mile marker on my quest to walk 2,024 miles in 2024, logging about 150 miles in July (mostly seated). I found a place on my Garmin app which gives me the total intentional exercise time – so much easier for me to track my second goal which was 2,024 miles of intentional exercise (I count 20 minutes as a mile). I was previously doing it on an excel spreadsheet – which probably wasn’t too accurate. With this new calculation I am at 1,181 miles to date – just where I should be to complete it for the year. I can do it.

There are a lot of obstacles in my way for the month of August. Family picnic this weekend, followed by my birthday, then a three-day girl’s trip to Turning Stone Casino, and then finally a three-day trip for my wedding anniversary. With that in mind am going to keep the same goal as July – a 2% loss. Yes, I would love to see that ideal number (3.5 pounds), but that dangling carrot hasn’t helped me with my goals, so am going to shoot for that in September when it is much more reachable. It is also break time for both the Hogwarts and BLC challenges – so need to motivate myself – not as easy to do.

I have thought a lot about what my final goal should be. My initial goal was five pounds under the ideal range or 135 pounds. But when I look at myself, I still do not see fit. So am adjusting it to 100-pound loss or January 8, 2025 (my two-year starting date) whichever comes first.

My Goals for August:


• 2% loss for the month (about 2.5 pounds)
• Alternate Cardio and Strength
• Average 11K Steps per day
• Continue Physical Therapy Knee exercise – every other day
• Reduce Calories Gained by Exercise to 25% of earned

My Before and After for July

Aug 1: 142.8 😁 👣 📝 🥗 💪 💦 🧂 I'll never get it - didn't really do anything different - but a nice swish. Nothing exciting happening - end of the month is reflection and budget day so spent a good amount of time at the computer. I added a new goal this month - declutter - thinking one declutter thing a week. We'll see how that goes on my goal to become more minimalistic. My Aunt cancelled the family picnic that was planned for this weekend. My other Aunt is up from Florida and we were all going to get together - but it is supposed to rain all day so she cancelled. I'm sorry to see it because I haven't seen a couple of my cousins in a long time - but one less temptation this month is probably a good thing as August is filled with one to many for me.

Aug 2: 142.7 😁👣 📝 🥗 🦵🫀 💦 🧂Nice day yesterday, went out on the boat, a little dip in the water. I love our little lake (which only town resisdents can use). I counted the boats that were on the water - 2 boats, 1 jet ski, and a paddle board (plus us). My knee was feeling great yesterday, and I got in 17K steps. This was my daily goal pre knee injury so was so happy to see it. I'm feeling a little sore this morning though, so will curb it a little today.

Aug 3: 142.4 😁👣 📝 🥗 💪 💦 🧂Hot and Humid in Connecticut yesterday. Got our walk in, but was super sticky. We harvested our first pot of potatoes (we picked the little one to see how they were doing) and got seven good potatoes from the pot. Super happy with that. After a terrible garden year, it was nice to see some profits from our work. We talked about next year's garden and all we can seem to grown this year is tomatoes and potatoes (and ok arugula). Even the fruit trees - no apples, no pears - we do have peaches but the squirrels are taking them one by one before they are ripe. No big plans for today - it's also going to be a hot and humid one.

Aug 4: 142.5 👣 📝 🥗🦵🫀 💦 🧂One of my spare bedrooms has my treadmill in it and a weight machine. We had a twin sized bed in there as well (it was Allyson's room way back when). Finally decided to get rid of the bed. Also cleaned out the bureau - now the bureau is empty (going to move some things from my bedroom to make it so my closet isn't stuffed) and we moved the ab chair into the room. Threw away a big bag of stuff, another big bag going to good will and a couple bags of stuff for Allyson to go through. If she doesn't want it another two bags to goodwill. Now it is truely a workout room. 😊

Aug 5: 142.9 📝 🥗 🧘‍♀️🧂Rest and stretch day for me. I also didn't get all my water in - hoping the uptick is just that. Tonight is bingo with the Mom and the gang. Celebrating my birthday (and one of the other in Mom's circle of friends). So will have a light eating day today to make up for the cupcakes tonight. Prelogged my day and if I stick to it should still end up with a deficit. Cleaned out the closet in the workout room - another two bags to goodwill.

Aug 6: 143.2 👣 📝 💪🦵 💦 🧂Totally expected, the cupcake sugar high made me ravenous and when I got home I binged - added another 650 calories of junk to the mix. Back at it today. Good thing is that I won for a change - went bingo twice, and won the $10 door prize.



WEEK TWO


Aug 7: 142.9 👣 📝 🥗 🫀 💦🧂Good day yesterday. Didn't get the expected amount of rain they were predicting, so got in my AM walk. We also took a drive to the shore, took a little stroll down the boardwalk at the mouth of the Connecticut River.

Aug 8: 143.4 👣 📝 💪🦵Over my sodium goal yesterday and my calorie limit was 12 calories over - I know not by much but the sodium on top of it and the scale shows every bit of my being off plan. I haven't been sleeping well either which I think contributes to the scale. Today is my actual birthday (64), but not doing much today - will celebrate tomorrow and Saturday when Allyson will be here.

Aug 9: 144.5 👣 📝 🫀🦵Out last night to celebrate my birthday. I logged everything and it wasn't pretty. But I did have a nice time.

Aug 10: 143.5 📝 🥗 🧘‍♀️ 💦 🏡🧂 Back to where I started at the beginning of the month. Hopefully can make a dent downward before I leave on my trip on Thursday (three day girls outting). Rest day yesterday. Allyson stayed most of the day. She is writing a book and when she finishes a chapter she reads them to me. I got two this weekend. 🥰 Then we went out on the boat for a bit, took a little plunge in the water. Had our dinner at lunchtime, then Allyson headed home. I got a new tv for my workout room - so after she left set that up.

Aug 11: 143.5 Somehow this post got lost

Aug 12: 143 👣 📝 🥗 🫀 💦 🏡🧂Harvested the potted potatoes yesterday - got about 15 pounds in the six pots. Still have a few plants that we sowed in the ground - we are leaving those for now - they don't appear to be finished quite yet. Yup, next year potatoes and tomatoes - that's all that seems to grow well. We have another woodchuck that just consumed the peppers and squash plants - Greg saw him crawl over the gate! It hasn't been a great year for the garden.

Aug 13: 142.6 👣 📝 🥗 💪🧘‍♀️💦 🏡🧂Went for nice walk yesterday - we were going to our usual spot but the bridge over the river was closed so had to turn around. Stopped at Machimoodus state park. We haven't been here in a really long time.

WEEK THREE


Aug 14: 142.4 😁 👣 📝 🥗 🫀🦵 💦 🏡 Went to Allyson's yesterday AM, she was having issues with the new chromebook she bought - apparently the office 365 app not compatible - so since she bought it to work on her book during her lunchbreaks - it is being returned. I thought maybe I could figure out a way to get there on the web - but couldn't get it done. Then I got home and checked the garden, I was going to pull out the eaten squash and found a hiding squash in the one plant that wasn't demolished - HUGE - almost three pounds. They aren't as good when then get big. Oh well, tried a new skinnytaste receipe for Stuffed Zucchini. It was tasty. Tomorrow AM going on my trip with the girls - so won't be posting for the next few days. We are off to Turning Stone Casino for three days of fun and gambling. I met this milestone yesterday!

Aug 15: 📝 🏡 Didn't think I would check in today because of my trip - but leaving later than I anticipated. Diisasterous day; I made cookies for the trip and of course had to taste them. Tasting led to a sugar binge - chip binge - a beer. Typical for me - I go off plan just a bit and it is like it is a freedom to do whatever I want. The good part of yesterday was that I tried my paddleboard. I didn't stand up on it - tried but the wobbling of it wasn't good for my knee and didn't want to re-injure it - so just did it kneeling; it was fun. My plan for the trip is to get up earlier than the others and head to the fitness room for a treadmill walk. If I still have time I might do some MFP (bringing my laptop) before my roomies rise. Hope I don't wake them. That's the plan anyway - we'll see if I can get my butt out of bed after a night out.

Aug 16: DNW 👣 🫀💦
Aug 17: DNW 👣 🫀🦵

Aug 18: 147.3 👣 🫀I'm back and it isn't pretty; and I only have three days before my next trip. I am back at it full swing for the next few days - then going away for a couple days to celebrate our anniversary and then I'll have nine days to try to get back to my August starting weight. Yikes, it's going to be a tough one. I did have a wonderful time - spent a lot of $, obviously I ate a lot of junk, too much salt, too much sugar, no fruits and veggies to talk about, but it was nice to get away with the girls. We do this once a year and every year one of us has one big. I had my year last time so wasn't expecting it. My younger sister did well this time around!

Aug 19: 145.2 👣 📝 🥗 💪🦵🫀 💦 🏡🧂 Got it all done!

Aug 20: 143.5 👣 📝 🥗 💪🫀 💦 🏡🧂 Another great day, another swish from the girls trip bloat. Down to my August starting weight. I skipped bingo night out with Mom and the gang so no goodies! We leave for our Anniversary trip tomorrow (37 years). I expect a rise again, but not as bad as the girls trip. We are going to Mystic, Connecticut for 2 nights (you might remember the village from the movie Mystic Pizza movie from the 80's). It's just a 50 minute drive away, but still a get away for us. Then when I get back - no more obstacles for a bit! Phew! I hope to at least lose this month, even if it's just a couple tenths of a pound.

Aug 21: 143.2 👣 📝 🥗 💪🫀 💦 🏡🧂Figured I'd get a snapshot of my beginning weight before the trip (and I couldn't sleep so I am up). We are going to get a short walk in before we leave so Monty gets some exercise. I'll be back Friday afternoon! Looking forward to it.

July Reflection

July was a tough month for me. I do not really understand why I lost motivation this month, but probably a combination of not being able to do my normal exercise routine coupled with getting close to my goal and self-sabotage.

I lost 1.5 pounds this month. My goal was to at least lose 2% of my body weight which would have been about 3 pounds. I got close for a couple of days – but then went over the top and gained some back. The good thing is that I got back at it right away and did not allow the one-day binges to continue into a weekend, or weeklong binge. Down 84.5 pounds since I started this journey.

Exercise was different for me this month as well. The doctor asked that complete non weight bearing exercises, so no real walking. My strength, cardio, stretch, and steps were all done in the chair most of the month. I did get the green light to start up again at the end of the month and am slowly transitioning from chair to standing.

Now for the good news – I reached the 1,500-mile marker on my quest to walk 2,024 miles in 2024, logging about 150 miles in July (mostly seated). I found a place on my Garmin app which gives me the total intentional exercise time – so much easier for me to track my second goal which was 2,024 miles of intentional exercise (I count 20 minutes as a mile). I was previously doing it on an excel spreadsheet – which probably wasn’t too accurate. With this new calculation I am at 1,181 miles to date – just where I should be to complete it for the year. I can do it.

There are a lot of obstacles in my way for the month of August. Family picnic this weekend, followed by my birthday, then a three-day girl’s trip to Turning Stone Casino, and then finally a three-day trip for my wedding anniversary. With that in mind am going to keep the same goal as July – a 2% loss. Yes, I would love to see that ideal number (3.5 pounds), but that dangling carrot hasn’t helped me with my goals, so am going to shoot for that in September when it is much more reachable. It is also break time for both the Hogwarts and BLC challenges – so need to motivate myself – not as easy to do.

I have thought a lot about what my final goal should be. My initial goal was five pounds under the ideal range or 135 pounds. But when I look at myself, I still do not see fit. So am adjusting it to 100-pound loss or January 8, 2025 (my two-year starting date) whichever comes first.

My Goals for August:


• 2% loss for the month (about 2.5 pounds)
• Alternate Cardio and Strength
• Average 11K Steps per day
• Continue Physical Therapy Knee exercise – every other day
• Reduce Calories Gained by Exercise to 25% of earned

My Before and After for July

Aug 1: 142.8 😁 👣 📝 🥗 💪 💦 🧂 I'll never get it - didn't really do anything different - but a nice swish. Nothing exciting happening - end of the month is reflection and budget day so spent a good amount of time at the computer. I added a new goal this month - declutter - thinking one declutter thing a week. We'll see how that goes on my goal to become more minimalistic. My Aunt cancelled the family picnic that was planned for this weekend. My other Aunt is up from Florida and we were all going to get together - but it is supposed to rain all day so she cancelled. I'm sorry to see it because I haven't seen a couple of my cousins in a long time - but one less temptation this month is probably a good thing as August is filled with one to many for me.

Aug 2: 142.7 😁👣 📝 🥗 🦵🫀 💦 🧂Nice day yesterday, went out on the boat, a little dip in the water. I love our little lake (which only town resisdents can use). I counted the boats that were on the water - 2 boats, 1 jet ski, and a paddle board (plus us). My knee was feeling great yesterday, and I got in 17K steps. This was my daily goal pre knee injury so was so happy to see it. I'm feeling a little sore this morning though, so will curb it a little today.

Aug 3: 142.4 😁👣 📝 🥗 💪 💦 🧂Hot and Humid in Connecticut yesterday. Got our walk in, but was super sticky. We harvested our first pot of potatoes (we picked the little one to see how they were doing) and got seven good potatoes from the pot. Super happy with that. After a terrible garden year, it was nice to see some profits from our work. We talked about next year's garden and all we can seem to grown this year is tomatoes and potatoes (and ok arugula). Even the fruit trees - no apples, no pears - we do have peaches but the squirrels are taking them one by one before they are ripe. No big plans for today - it's also going to be a hot and humid one.

Aug 4: 142.5 👣 📝 🥗🦵🫀 💦 🧂One of my spare bedrooms has my treadmill in it and a weight machine. We had a twin sized bed in there as well (it was Allyson's room way back when). Finally decided to get rid of the bed. Also cleaned out the bureau - now the bureau is empty (going to move some things from my bedroom to make it so my closet isn't stuffed) and we moved the ab chair into the room. Threw away a big bag of stuff, another big bag going to good will and a couple bags of stuff for Allyson to go through. If she doesn't want it another two bags to goodwill. Now it is truely a workout room. 😊

Aug 5: 142.9 📝 🥗 🧘‍♀️🧂Rest and stretch day for me. I also didn't get all my water in - hoping the uptick is just that. Tonight is bingo with the Mom and the gang. Celebrating my birthday (and one of the other in Mom's circle of friends). So will have a light eating day today to make up for the cupcakes tonight. Prelogged my day and if I stick to it should still end up with a deficit. Cleaned out the closet in the workout room - another two bags to goodwill.

Aug 6: 143.2 👣 📝 💪🦵 💦 🧂Totally expected, the cupcake sugar high made me ravenous and when I got home I binged - added another 650 calories of junk to the mix. Back at it today. Good thing is that I won for a change - went bingo twice, and won the $10 door prize.



WEEK TWO


Aug 7: 142.9 👣 📝 🥗 🫀 💦🧂Good day yesterday. Didn't get the expected amount of rain they were predicting, so got in my AM walk. We also took a drive to the shore, took a little stroll down the boardwalk at the mouth of the Connecticut River.

Aug 8: 143.4 👣 📝 💪🦵Over my sodium goal yesterday and my calorie limit was 12 calories over - I know not by much but the sodium on top of it and the scale shows every bit of my being off plan. I haven't been sleeping well either which I think contributes to the scale. Today is my actual birthday (64), but not doing much today - will celebrate tomorrow and Saturday when Allyson will be here.

Aug 9: 144.5 👣 📝 🫀🦵Out last night to celebrate my birthday. I logged everything and it wasn't pretty. But I did have a nice time.

Aug 10: 143.5 📝 🥗 🧘‍♀️ 💦 🏡🧂 Back to where I started at the beginning of the month. Hopefully can make a dent downward before I leave on my trip on Thursday (three day girls outting). Rest day yesterday. Allyson stayed most of the day. She is writing a book and when she finishes a chapter she reads them to me. I got two this weekend. 🥰 Then we went out on the boat for a bit, took a little plunge in the water. Had our dinner at lunchtime, then Allyson headed home. I got a new tv for my workout room - so after she left set that up.

Aug 11: 143.5 Somehow this post got lost

Aug 12: 143 👣 📝 🥗 🫀 💦 🏡🧂Harvested the potted potatoes yesterday - got about 15 pounds in the six pots. Still have a few plants that we sowed in the ground - we are leaving those for now - they don't appear to be finished quite yet. Yup, next year potatoes and tomatoes - that's all that seems to grow well. We have another woodchuck that just consumed the peppers and squash plants - Greg saw him crawl over the gate! It hasn't been a great year for the garden.

Aug 13: 142.6 👣 📝 🥗 💪🧘‍♀️💦 🏡🧂Went for nice walk yesterday - we were going to our usual spot but the bridge over the river was closed so had to turn around. Stopped at Machimoodus state park. We haven't been here in a really long time.

WEEK THREE


Aug 14: 142.4 😁 👣 📝 🥗 🫀🦵 💦 🏡 Went to Allyson's yesterday AM, she was having issues with the new chromebook she bought - apparently the office 365 app not compatible - so since she bought it to work on her book during her lunchbreaks - it is being returned. I thought maybe I could figure out a way to get there on the web - but couldn't get it done. Then I got home and checked the garden, I was going to pull out the eaten squash and found a hiding squash in the one plant that wasn't demolished - HUGE - almost three pounds. They aren't as good when then get big. Oh well, tried a new skinnytaste receipe for Stuffed Zucchini. It was tasty. Tomorrow AM going on my trip with the girls - so won't be posting for the next few days. We are off to Turning Stone Casino for three days of fun and gambling. I met this milestone yesterday!

Aug 15: 📝 🏡 Didn't think I would check in today because of my trip - but leaving later than I anticipated. Diisasterous day; I made cookies for the trip and of course had to taste them. Tasting led to a sugar binge - chip binge - a beer. Typical for me - I go off plan just a bit and it is like it is a freedom to do whatever I want. The good part of yesterday was that I tried my paddleboard. I didn't stand up on it - tried but the wobbling of it wasn't good for my knee and didn't want to re-injure it - so just did it kneeling; it was fun. My plan for the trip is to get up earlier than the others and head to the fitness room for a treadmill walk. If I still have time I might do some MFP (bringing my laptop) before my roomies rise. Hope I don't wake them. That's the plan anyway - we'll see if I can get my butt out of bed after a night out.

Aug 16: DNW 👣 🫀💦
Aug 17: DNW 👣 🫀🦵

Aug 18: 147.3 👣 🫀I'm back and it isn't pretty; and I only have three days before my next trip. I am back at it full swing for the next few days - then going away for a couple days to celebrate our anniversary and then I'll have nine days to try to get back to my August starting weight. Yikes, it's going to be a tough one. I did have a wonderful time - spent a lot of $, obviously I ate a lot of junk, too much salt, too much sugar, no fruits and veggies to talk about, but it was nice to get away with the girls. We do this once a year and every year one of us has one big. I had my year last time so wasn't expecting it. My younger sister did well this time around!

Aug 19: 145.2 👣 📝 🥗 💪🦵🫀 💦 🏡🧂 Got it all done!

Aug 20: 143.5 👣 📝 🥗 💪🫀 💦 🏡🧂 Another great day, another swish from the girls trip bloat. Down to my August starting weight. I skipped bingo night out with Mom and the gang so no goodies! We leave for our Anniversary trip tomorrow (37 years). I expect a rise again, but not as bad as the girls trip. We are going to Mystic, Connecticut for 2 nights (you might remember the village from the movie Mystic Pizza movie from the 80's). It's just a 50 minute drive away, but still a get away for us. Then when I get back - no more obstacles for a bit! Phew! I hope to at least lose this month, even if it's just a couple tenths of a pound.

Aug 21: 143.2 👣 📝 🥗 💪🫀 💦 🏡🧂Figured I'd get a snapshot of my beginning weight before the trip (and I couldn't sleep so I am up). We are going to get a short walk in before we leave so Monty gets some exercise. I'll be back Friday afternoon! Looking forward to it.